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February 28, 2018

February 2018 Alchemy of Fabric Part 2 - More Musings...

I had so much fun with these fabrics in the Eclipse Table Runner. (Or it could be a bed runner.) I choose to focus on the blues and neutral prints and solids and keep the background fabric the grey grid, which I love in all of the colors.

When I begin a project, the first thing I do when deciding a color palette is to determine the value range. I choose the lightest and darkest fabric and fill in from there. In this piece, the white is definitely the brightest and lightest fabric and it helps to draw the eye from one arc to the next. The bright blue also helps in that regard and it adds interest. The grey grid is the dullest of the fabrics, but by using it as the background the others can shine.

Being a lover of the scrap look in quilts, I had great fun using a variety of prints and solids in the pieced arcs. Look how the circular ball print has so much energy.

Speaking of the block, you can see from the photos how gentle the curve is on the edges of the pieced block. Having made over a dozen New York Beauty quilts and pieced arcs, this was EASY. And there is a new tear away product in the shop for the foundation that looks like interfacing. It is called "Perfect Piecing" Foundation Sheets from June Tailor. I loved using it because I could see through it and it is easy to tear away.

I kept the quilting simple and just mimicked the design lines.

Kaffe Fassett is the master of throwing in a bit of “dull tones” in his prints and it always allows the other colors to become more important. I began a new runner focusing on a new Kaffe print.

Our curated collection of companion fabrics focuses on the neutrals. As we were remodeling the store the end of January I realized that three designers have stunning collections in neutral colors, Jen Kingwell- Behind the Scenes with Moda, Jennifer Sampou - Shimmer On with Robert Kaufman, and Valori Wells- Musings with Robert Kaufman so Cheryl and I pulled together a collection of ones we liked.

Behind the Scenes 18135 37 charcoal and grey Ikat (which is so popular at the moment)

Shimmer On AJSP 17066 304 - cream and grey stripe with a bit of shimmer

Musings AVW 17320 184 - a lighter charcoal woven texture

Musings AVW 17319 186 - grey and off white circle plan (works wonders as a background with the movement it has)

Shimmer On AJSP 17028 Frost - a take off on the hexi with shimmer triangles tossed around

Shimmer On AJSP 17028 254 - a subtle brush stroke diagonal with a touch of aqua

(we could not resist on this next piece as the subtlety of the color works perfectly with the piece above)Essex Yarn Dye 1005 Aqua – the hand woven feeling of the yarn dye plays beautifully with all of the above